R2.31-cr penalty slapped on Delhi firm for delay

Upset over delay in providing high security number plates for motor vehicles in several districts, the Haryana government has invoked the financial penalty clause against Delhi-based Link Utsav Registration Plate Private Limited implementing the project in the state.

The company has been slapped a notice for a penalty of Rs 2.31 crore for delay in the implementation of the high security registration plate (HSRP) project in several of the 79 offices of registering authorities across the state.

Link Utsav, which was awarded the work for affixing the high security registration number plates in the entire state, failed to start the project in 36 locations on time, according to a notice issued by the transport department last week.

As per the concession agreement for the project, the company was to put in place the requisite infrastructure and start affixing the new number plates by May 25, 2012 in all locations including the state headquarters at Chandigarh.

However, the concessionaire started the work of affixing the tamper-proof registration plates at only eight locations including Ambala, Naraingarh, Panchkula, Kalka, Panipat, Yamunanagar and Chandigarh in May 2012.

In Gurgaon which sees the maximum rush for vehicle registration in the state, the company started fixing new registration plates at all three locations in July and has attracted penalty of Rs 6.60 lakh for delay in the start operations in the city.

The state government has imposed penalty at the rate of Rs 5,000 per day per location or registering authority for the first 30 days and Rs 10,000 per day per location thereafter for all the locations where the project implementation has been delayed as per the reports received from the field officers of the department, according to sources. The rate of penalty will increase to Rs 15,000 per day in case there is delay of 120 days in implementation of the project at any location.

Additional chief secretary, transport, Ramendra Jakhu said that Link Utsav was awarded the work by way of a competitive bidding process. "HSRPs will help in checking vehicle theft. These registration plates cannot be removed and are only affixed by the authorised agency," he said.

The state government has initially made the new number plate mandatory for all new motor vehicles and plans to introduce it for all existing registered vehicles at a later stage. Haryana has close to 52 lakh registered vehicles, including two-wheelers, and another 2,500 new vehicles are being added daily on an average across the state.